


Why Can't I?

by tdgal1



Series: Felicity can choose [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Arrow (TV 2012) RPF
Genre: F/M, Felicity not being a doormat, Jealousy, Oliver Queen Being an Asshole, Romance, Some angst, Strong Female Characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-25
Packaged: 2018-07-28 17:21:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7649734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tdgal1/pseuds/tdgal1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity is in love with Oliver but he is clueless.  After dealing with his parade of women, she has had enough.  I hope you like this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am working on a Bratva and will put that up shortly. I am going out on a limb and putting up stories I have not completed but I promise I will finish them. tdgal1 twitter  
> tumbl tdgal1

Oliver Queen knew how screwed up he was. He did not need counseling to understand that he had been a spoiled, thoughtless playboy who only cared about himself and his own pleasure. He knew he had become cold, heartless and a killer during his five years away and now he is trying but his life is so complicated and dangerous that he hurts people even if he is not trying. Weeks after Russia, he can still see the hurt on Felicity’s face when Isabelle walked out of his hotel room door half undressed and made that snide comment about Felicity’s services not being needed that night. Felicity might have shook her head and put on an indifferent mask but he could see how she really felt about it. Of course, that comment about all the women in Russia and “he had to sleep with her” made crystal clear her disgust at his behavior and he was in total agreement with her on that feeling. Why did he do it? For a moment, he just saw a chance to bury his pain with a quickie like he used to. That never worked well for “Ollie” so he did not know why he thought it would be better now. Even with all that, Felicity told him he deserved better. The fates who brought this woman to him were both saints and sinners. She had a light that people were drawn to like a moth to a flame. So amazing and so much good in one small package. That is why he had to protect her as he promised Dig he would and he knew that most certainly included protecting her from himself. 

***************

Felicity Smoak was a genius. She worked at Queen Consolidated as an executive assistant because Oliver was the Arrow and “needed someone he could trust”. This was not an ideal situation for Felicity by any means but she loved the team and was falling for her handsome boss so she tackled the job with all her effort. She knew the gossip about her and how she got the “glamorous” job of being the EA of the CEO. She put up with the insults and degrading that Isabelle gave her on a daily basis. She put all her IT skills to work in the Arrow cave and fixing Oliver’s computer instead of focusing on how she should be working in R&D instead of being a secretary. That is why she was headed to the foundry to find her missing boss this morning after Isabelle started the day with one of her usual rants about her “lazy, unprofessional boss”. She called Dig and found out Oliver was not at the mansion and Dig had been trying to call him all morning. She tried calling Oliver several times but, like Dig, she only got his voicemail. So she was in her mini driving to the foundry to make sure Oliver was okay. Right now, she was more worried than upset. What if he went out patrolling without backup and was hurt. What if he was lying in some alley dead? Trying to keep these thoughts away, she put in the code and walked down the steps. 

*********

Sara Lance had survived so much. The island, the LOA, the killings but the return to Starling was the hardest thing she did. She wanted to check on her sister and found out Laurel was in a bottle more than a courtroom these days. Ollie was the Arrow and had a team. He introduced her to his team and she was helping patrol until she figured out her next move. Ollie convinced her she should let her family know she was alive but that did not go as well as she hoped. She convinced Ollie to go with her to a family dinner that her dad put together for them to tell Laurel and that was a disaster. Sara should have realized that having Ollie with her would not make things better but she did not want to go alone. This was just another issue in the long line of issues Sara had on her mind. The League was not going to just let her go. That was not the way things went and she was fully aware of that fact. On top of that, Nyssa would be equally hurt and angry with Sara leaving with no explanation. She was glad to have Ollie to talk to but she recognized that he was just as messed up as she was. Could her life get any worse?

*************

Felicity was halfway down the steps when she heard noises. She looked over and saw Oliver and Sara naked and having sex????? She could not focus for a minute but then she turned around and ran back up the stairs. She could hear Oliver calling her name but she just got in her car and started driving. Her phone was ringing but she could not talk to Oliver now and she was sure it was him calling. She picked up her phone and saw a missed call from Oliver. She texted Oliver and told him he was missing a meeting and Isabelle was upset. Oliver called her again but she did not answer. She texted John to let him know she told Oliver about the meeting and she would see him back at the office. Felicity did not cry. She has a feeling that she was either getting used to being hurt by Oliver or she was starting to finally realize she was never going to be anything more than his EA and IT girl. With all the women she saw him go through she should be used to this. She was going back to the office and not let Oliver know how much this hurt. Felicity already showed how she felt about the incident in Russia, she was not going to embarrass herself any further. The “I can’t be with someone I care about” really meant “Felicity, I have no interest in you other than using your brain and talent.” Okay, she was ready to walk back into the office and be Felicity Smoak, the EA.

************

Oliver was shocked when he heard a noise and looked up to see Felicity standing on the stairs. What was she doing at the foundry? He checked the time and saw it was 10:00. He had missed calls from Dig, Felicity, and Isabelle. Both Sara and he quickly got dressed and Oliver tried to call Felicity. Naturally, she did not answer the phone. 

The phone rang and he answered, ”Felicity?”

“No, it is Dig. Felicity was looking for you. Why haven’t you answered your phone and where the hell are you? Isabelle said you have a meeting and was harassing Felicity about you not being in the office.”

“Sorry, Dig. I did not hear my phone and I am on my way to the office. Have you heard from Felicity?”

“She texted me to tell me that you know about the meeting and she would be here shortly. I will let Isabel know you were detained and should be here soon.”

“Thanks, Dig.” 

Oliver was thankful Felicity did not tell Dig what happened but he knew that was temporary. Dig would find out and how is this going to affect the team? He received a text from Felicity but when he tried to call her back, she ignored him again.

“That was unexpected.” Sara commented. 

“Yeah. I need to get to Queen Consolidated. I missed a meeting and that was why Felicity was looking for me. You going to be okay?”

“Sure, my dad said it was fine to stay with him. I will see you tonight, okay?” 

Oliver did not want to tell Sara that her coming tonight was going to make things more difficult. He cared for Sara and did not want to make her feel any worse than she already did. He knew Laurel’s words and actions hurt her terrible. He just needed to get to QC and see what was going on and how Felicity was.

************

When Oliver arrived, Felicity was at her desk. Fortunately, Isabelle also saw him so he could not corner Felicity. Felicity was glad that Oliver had a heavy load so they had no real chance to talk during the day. She stayed at the office later than usual making sure everything was set for the next day. When she arrived at the foundry, she was greeted by Oliver, Dig, Roy, and Sara. She went over to her computers and started checking alerts. She wanted to avoid Oliver and Sara as much as possible so she called Dig over. She handed Dig all four comms and showed him what she saw on the screens. Oliver and Sara walked over to see and she calmly told them the information she found out and asked if they were patrolling tonight. 

*************

Oliver wanted to talk to Felicity but he had no chance. As soon as she came in, she made sure she was surrounded by Dig so he had no chance to talk with her. He did not want to bring up what happened until he was alone with her but she was not going to make that easy. He told the team to gear up. They went out but things were pretty quiet except for a few thugs that they caught and left for Lance. Dig told Felicity they were on the way back and all was fine. When they returned to the foundry, Sara asked if he wanted to grab some food. 

“Is everyone up for some Chinese? It is early so we can all get ready and go.” 

Oliver decided to include the team and test the waters.

"I am out this time. I need to check on Sin."

“No, I am going to go home and see Lyla.”

“How about you, Felicity?”

“No,thanks. I don’t want to be the third wheel on your date. See you tomorrow.”

“Wait, Felicity. You are not going to be a third wheel on a date. We are just going out to grab a bite. You must be hungry, too.”

“I’m fine. I will see you tomorrow.” With that, both Dig and Felicity left. He was staring at the door trying to figure out how this day went bad when he heard Sara. 

“You love her.” Sara stated.

“Felicity is my friend. She is important to me. She gives so much and I think she was upset when she walked in this morning.”

“Maybe she wants to be more than your friend, Ollie. The last thing I want is to come between you or hurt her. She is a big part of the team. Maybe what happened between us wasn’t such a good thing.”

“Sara, I know Felicity was attracted to me at first but we are team members and friends now. I am sure she felt bad to come into the foundry and see us. She was probably embarrassed and I should have realized the time and thought about someone walking in.”

“Okay, well let’s go get some food.”

After dinner, Oliver thought about what happened. He tried to call Felicity several times to talk to her but she did not answer. His relief when she finally answered was short lived. 

“Felicity, are you okay?”

“Yes, Oliver. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You seemed upset this morning and I just wanted to….”

“I was surprised and I would rather just forget it happened. What you do in your personal life does not concern me. I am going to go to bed. Good night.”

Before Oliver could say any more, she hung up. Oliver stood there for a few minutes just looking at the phone. He certainly hoped tomorrow was a much better day. Then again, it couldn’t possibly be worse, could it?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things cool down at the foundry and Queen Consolidated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who have read and supported this story - thank you.

Why Can’t I? Chapter 2

 

Dig could tell something was off with Felicity. He was not sure what happened this morning but it had to be bad. Oliver was acting guilty and Felicity was closed off. He decided to find out what was going on. Oliver could be an idiot so that just left Felicity. He knocked on the door. He heard the door open and Felicity was dressed in pj's with some large blue phone boxes on them and her eyes were red. 

 

“What happened this morning, Felicity?”

 

“I don’t want to talk about it right now, Dig.”

 

“Felicity, I am not leaving until I find out what happened that has you crying.”

 

Felicity grabbed her tablet, pressed some keys and handed him the screen. On the screen, he could see Oliver and Sara kissing and taking off their clothes. You see Oliver suddenly jump up and say “Felicity” and then get dressed. He did not need to see any more to figure out what happened. Felicity went to the foundry to find Oliver after Isabelle screamed at her and found this! Dig knew that Oliver was clueless but this was beyond what he could ever imagine. 

 

“Are you okay? I know how much you care about him.”

 

“Dig, I am a fool. Oliver does not see me that way and he never will. You would think Russia would have given me a clue but no, not me. I guess I need to have a wall drop on me to finally get it.”

 

“What happened in Russia?”

 

“Oliver slept with Isabelle. I went to his room to get him for the mission and Isabelle came out half dressed. She told me my services would not be needed that night.”

 

Dig was furious and would have punched Oliver right then if he was there. 

 

“Oliver told me it did not mean anything. He said ‘ because of the life he lives he could not be with someone he really cared about’ but he really meant he did not want to be with me. He was with Sara and he certainly cares about her. Yup, I don’t get the hint but I finally do.”

 

Dig hugged Felicity and she assured him she would be at QC in the morning and he should not worry. He left and went home. When was Oliver going to realize what was right in front of him? Knowing Oliver, he would probably not figure it out until someone else came along and Felicity moved on.

 

**********

 

The following morning, Felicity was so tired. She hardly slept all night but she got up and forced herself to get dressed. She left early so she could stop and get some coffee. She was in line when she heard the man talking to someone in the back of her. He was an attractive, well-dressed man who was babbling the way she often did. Felicity smiled. It was not often, if ever, she had the chance to be on the other end of a ramble. 

“I am sorry if I am bothering you. I have this idea in my head and I am trying to work out the kinks. I often do that. My name is Ray.”

 

“Hi, Ray. I am Felicity. You are not bothering me. What are you trying to work out?”

 

“I am working on a formula for a computer program and I am a little stuck with a detail.”

 

“Oh, I work with computers, too. What a small world.”

 

She placed her order and realized she needed to get going or she would be late. She told Ray goodbye and good luck with his project and ran to work. 

 

When she got to work, she printed out all the information Oliver would need for today, updated his schedule, and got his desk ready with the paperwork organized in piles. She just got back to her desk when the elevator door opened. Dig and Oliver came out and Oliver came over to her desk. 

 

“Felicity, can I talk to you a minute in my office?”

 

“Sure, come on Dig.”

 

Oliver sent a silent communication to Dig.

 

“I wanted to discuss something with you. So how about coming into my office?”

 

Felicity followed Oliver to his office and he nervously said, “Felicity about what happened in the foundry. I am sorry.”

 

“You are sorry you did it or sorry I saw it? Never mind, it does not matter. What you do is your business. Please try to keep it out of the foundry in the future so the team does not have to witness it, okay? Here is your schedule and the notes for your meetings. If that is all, I have some work to do.”

 

Felicity turned and headed back to her desk.

 

“Are you okay?” Dig asked her.

 

“Yes, Dig. I am fine. I just need to get a life. It hurt me but I am finally accepting the way things are. Don’t worry about me.”

 

*************

 

The next week went by quickly. QC was going to try to do a joint project with Palmer Tech, there was a new drug out that the team was investigating and Felicity was gathering intel for both QC and the foundry. Felicity kept her distance from Oliver and was very professional but cool toward him. 

 

Sara was at the foundry every night with the team but was staying with her father. Both Oliver and Felicity avoided the foundry mishap. Dig kept an eye on Felicity and was obviously annoyed at Oliver. There was an underlining of tension but everyone worked through it to get the drug off the street. Oliver knew that both Dig and Felicity were unhappy with him but he did not know how to fix it. He tried to talk to Felicity but she would not talk about Sara except to say “none of my business.” and he and Dig had a talk that was not promising. To say Dig was angry about the Isabelle slip was an understatement. Felicity told him what happened when he stopped by to see her. He did not say much about Felicity’s reaction to Sara or Isabelle but he had plenty to say about his opinion about it. Oliver reminded him that it was his business, not Dig’s. That made Dig call him a damn fool and walk out. Now both of his team members are treating him like he has a contagious disease and must be avoided at all costs. 

 

Now he has this meeting today with this Palmer guy. Felicity did a profile on Palmer Tech. It seems Dr. Palmer is a genius who lost his fiance a year ago. His company is on the cutting edge of technology. That was the only time he saw Felicity excited since “the foundry incident” as she called it. She was talking about the technology that PT had and how super smart Dr. Palmer was. 

 

Speaking of Palmer, he needed to get to the conference room. He walked out to get Felicity but she was already in the room getting it ready.

 

“Felicity, hi. I was hoping to see you again and here you are. This is my lucky day.”

 

Wait, does Felicity know this Palmer guy?

 

“Hi, did you get your solution figured out?”

“No, that is a work in progress. “

 

Ray noticed Oliver standing there and put out his hand.

 

“ Ray Palmer,” 

 

“Ray, can I get you some coffee?”

 

What the Hell? Felicity never got coffee. She flat out told him “that was never happening” and she is getting coffee for Palmer??

 

“Oliver Queen. Do you two know each other?”

 

“Not as well as I would like. It is lucky for me Felicity works here.”

 

The rest of the board members came in and everyone sat down before Palmer could say anymore. Felicity came in with the coffee, for Palmer, none for him and sat down. She was enthralled with Palmer’s presentation and the board seemed impressed. Oliver spent most of the meeting looking at Felicity and Palmer. He did not hear most of what Palmer was talking about but Palmer provided everyone with a detailed packet with all the details and a copy of his powerpoint. He noticed Palmer kept looking and smiling at Felicity but what really annoyed Oliver was she was smiling right back. How did Palmer know Felicity and what was happening with them?

 

*********

 

Felicity found Dr. Ray Palmer’s presentation so exciting. This would be such a great partnership between PT and QC. The board was very impressed with the presentation and she was glad she had made sure the conference room was all set up with coffee, water, and donuts. 

 

“Felicity, how did you like the presentation?”

 

“It was so wonderful, Ray. I love technology and it was so exciting to see what you have planned.”

 

“ Would you be available for dinner some night this week?”

 

“How is Friday night, Felicity?”

 

“Let me check Mr. Queen’s schedule first.”

 

“Felicity, I am asking you to dinner. I don’t need to know Mr. Queen’s schedule for that.”

 

“Are you asking me on a date? Oh, I misunderstood.”

 

“Yes, if that is okay? I would like to take you to dinner. I was, um, thinking just you and me, um, yes a date. Oh, do you have a boyfriend or something?”

 

Felicity laughed as she replied she would love to go to dinner with him and no she definitely did not have anybody in her life.

 

“ Let me have your phone and I will give you my number.”

 

“Ms. Smoak, can I speak to you a minute?”

 

“Excuse me, Ray.”

 

“Mr. Queen, please feel free to call me if you have any questions. Felicity, I will call you.”

 

Felicity walked back to Oliver’s office with a smile on her face. 

 

“What do you need, Oliver?”

 

“You did not tell me you knew that guy. Did he ask you out on a date?”

 

“I met him at the coffee shop but did not know who he was and yes, he did. Not that that is your business, Oliver. Is that what you wanted me for?” 

 

“Yes, you don’t know anything about him, Felicity. You just agree to go out with him without knowing him?????” 

 

“Again, not your business. You may be able to question Sara or maybe Isabelle about their dates but I am not either one of them.”

 

With that, she walked out of the office.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Ray go out, Oliver feels Felicity moving further away from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much. 
> 
> tdgal1 tumblr and twitter

Oliver could not believe this was happening. Was Felicity going on a date with Palmer? When he thinks about the week, Felicity has been pulling away from him and distancing herself from him more and more. She is still the heart of the team and she is always at the foundry every night. She is at her desk early every day and his schedule is updated, the notes for the meetings are on his desk organized, she makes sure she is at every meeting with any information he needs and she keeps things running at both QC and the foundry but he can feel the difference. Oliver may not be an expert in feelings but he knew things were much different and he did not know how to get it back to normal.

 

***************

 

Felicity was determined to get over her “crush” for Oliver. She decided that this date with Ray Palmer would be her first step in the process. Oliver had a meeting off campus that Isabelle set up so she sent him a message telling him she was leaving early and would not be in the foundry that night. On her skype call with her friend Jen, she picked out a blue dress with cutouts that brought out the color of her eyes and was sexy without being too over the top. 

She was proud of the cool, professional attitude that she had managed to maintain with Oliver. Sara had been quiet and it seemed like her and Oliver were no longer dating. When Oliver brought up what happened in the foundry, she made sure she gave the “not my business” answer. She found that even Isabelle’s comments were disturbing her less and less. It was time for her date and she was looking forward to it.

 

***************

 

Oliver was tired and annoyed from the meeting that Isabelle arranged off campus with an investor. He recognized they needed the support but he would have liked to have an easier day and he had a massive headache. He just wanted to get to the foundry and he hoped he could find some criminals to give to Lance and take his frustrations out on. He decided he better check his email just to make sure there was nothing he missed while he was gone. He opened the email from Felicity and his headache just got worse. Felicity was not going to be at the foundry tonight. 

 

“What happened to Felicity that she is not coming in tonight?”

 

“She is on a date with Palmer.” 

 

Dig felt only slightly bad at Oliver’s grimace.

 

“That is tonight? Let’s get geared up.” 

 

Oliver tried to act like it was fine but it was killing him that she was out with that big dork. 

 

Dig silently did a high five for Felicity. Good for her to finally start living her own life. Oliver will be forced to see what he threw away with his attitude.

 

******************************************

 

Ray Palmer was a successful businessman who loved technology. He used his money and inventions to improve conditions for society. When he lost Anna he did not think he would ever be interested in another woman but the light that was Felicity Smoak drew him in. 

 

“Tell me about Felicity. I would like to know about you.”

 

Felicity told him the basics about her education, job and how she grew up in Vegas.

 

“If you are comfortable, I would like to know more than what is on a resume. “ Ray jokingly said.

 

“My mom is a single mom who works as a cocktail waitress in Vegas. She worked 60 hours a week to keep a roof over our heads after my dad took a hike when I was 7. We were not close growing up but I learned to appreciate all she did for me after I started working.”

 

“Wow, your mom sounds amazing.”

 

“People look down on her because she is a waitress but she is a strong woman who did what she needed to do.”

 

“Why look down on her? She worked hard to take care of her daughter. Her daughter is amazing so she did a great job.” Ray smiled.

 

Felicity could not believe this man. He is a billionaire but, unlike others, he did not look down on her mom. He was interested in her. He was smart, handsome and interesting. Wow, why would he want to go out with her, a simple IT girl?

 

Ray gave her a chaise kiss when he walked her to her door. 

 

“Can I see you again?”

 

“Yes.” Felicity reached up and kissed him again. It was not a chaise kiss like the last one. Ray pulled her closer and then stepped back.

 

“I will call you. I look forward to seeing you again. Actually, I will see you Monday at Queen Consolidated for that meeting.”

 

Neither one of them noticed a man standing on a rooftop watching them.

 

************************

 

Ray Palmer was kissing Felicity and she kissed him back. A pain went through Oliver when he thought about losing her to this idiot. Yes, he understood that she was safer not being with the Arrow but Ray Palmer? He wanted Felicity to be happy. He pushed her away for this very reason so why did he feel like someone just put an arrow in his heart?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Roy become close, Ray pulls out all the stops, Oliver gets pushed further away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am thinking of making this sort of a series. I think I would like to do something more than just a story of Felicity finding Oliver and Sara and that would take it in a different way. Give me your thoughts - series or just get this one done? Thanks for your support. I know I have not been very good at posting with this but I am heavily involved with my Bratva story.

Tonight when they returned from patrolling, Felicity was still at her desk. Hope flared up in Oliver. Maybe things were improving. He went to change out into jeans. When He came back out, his hope faded.

 

“Roy, are you ready?”

 

“Hold on, blondie. I am almost ready to go.”

 

“Game of Thrones is waiting for us, scarecrow. Can’t delay.” Felicity laughed. 

 

The laugh was like music. Oliver missed that laugh so much. He remembered when she would laugh with him especially after one of her babbles. Her babbles were reserved for Roy, Dig and Palmer now, apparently. She barely spoke with him, no less babbling. 

 

“Hey, what’s up?” Oliver asked the pair.

 

“Not much. Just glad tonight was light and we can leave early. Right, blondie?”

 

“What are you doing tonight that you are happy to leave?”

 

“Doing a Game of Thrones night. Felicity has them all recorded.”

 

“Game of Thrones?” Oliver was not sure what that meant.

 

“Never heard of Game of Thrones? It is a fantastic series on tv. You should watch it sometime.” Roy told him.

 

“You ready, Roy? Good night, Oliver” Felicity dismissed him again.

 

Before Oliver could think of a response, they were gone. What was going on with Roy and Felicity?

 

*******************************************

 

Oliver was not proud of his actions but he was perched on a rooftop outside of Felicity’s townhouse. He just wanted to see what was going on with his team. He convinced himself that he was just making sure two of his team were fine but it was becoming harder and harder not to admit the jealousy he felt every time he saw Felicity and Roy together.

 

The view in the window was restricted but he could see enough. Felicity made popcorn and brought a blanket to the couch. She changed into some yoga pants and a shirt. She spread the blanket over her and Roy after turning on the tv. Oliver could not see what was going on under the blanket but the whole scene showed two people totally comfortable with each other. Felicity’s head started drooping and Roy put his arm around her and put her head on his shoulder. What the hell? Roy reached over and turned the light off so it was too dark to see much after that. 

 

*************************************

 

Roy was thankful for Felicity. He missed Thea and was very lonely. Roy did not have a lot of friends. Most of his former friends were in jail. The crowd he hung around with in the Glades were not exactly model citizens. The only person he still kept in touch with was Sin.

 

Felicity had such a big heart. She noticed him at a diner one night by himself. Since she cared so much about others, she asked him how he was. Roy found himself telling her about Thea and they became true friends. Yes, they all worked together in the foundry but Felicity was a real friend to Roy. 

Several nights a week, Felicity and Roy got together to watch tv. Since she had a spare room, Roy stayed over those nights. It was so great to have someone to talk to. Some nights they talked about Thea, some nights they just watched tv in relative silence and other nights Felicity would try to explain computers to him. 

 

Roy knew that Felicity found Oliver and Sara. He knew that it broke her heart. She even talked to him about it a little. It was hard for him to understand Oliver. He had a chance with this beautiful woman and all he does it screw up. It makes a person wonder.

 

************************

 

After several weeks of this, Oliver broke. He had to fix this. Watching Roy and Felicity in the foundry and Felicity and Ray at work was killing him. He was not sure of the relationship between Roy and Felicity but he was damned sure Ray was pursuing her with a vengeance. He was going to have to force himself to open up and talk to Felicity. The foundry was almost impossible because the team was always around and Felicity made sure they were never alone at night. It would have to be the office.

 

“Felicity can you come to my office, please?”

 

Felicity walked in with her tablet ready to work.

 

“We need to talk. I am concerned about you.”

 

“Concerned about what?”

 

“You barely talk to me. You pull away if I am close to you. I want to get things back on track.”

 

“I talk to you. I give you all the information about your schedule, give you help regarding meetings and do all my duties without complaint. I even bring coffee to the meetings now."

 

“You seem distant. Are you upset with me? Sara noticed it too.”

 

“You and your girlfriend talk about me? I would think you would have better things to do.”

 

“Sara is not my girlfriend. We are friends, just like I thought you and I were.”

 

“Friends, really? I don’t normally do the horizontal stroll with my friends. Hmmm. Well, I am not upset with you. You are my boss. Most EAs do not call their boss by their first name and do not go out to lunch and things with them. I am acting very appropriate for this situation.”

 

“Felicity, we are more than boss and employee. We are friends. If you are upset I want to do everything in my power to fix it. What can I do?”

 

“Since there is nothing wrong, you can not fix it. I am leaving for lunch now. Ray is picking me up.”

 

Before he could say more, he saw that goofy Palmer exit the elevator with a big bouquet of roses. Felicity ran out, took the flowers and gave Palmer a big hug and kiss. 

 

****************************

 

Dig and Lyla invited the team to have dinner. Dig could feel the tension and felt it was time to lighten the mood. The Diggles went over to movie night at Felicity’s several times. It was understandable that Felicity was staying away from Oliver and Sara except for work but he still felt bad for his boss.

 

Oliver showed up first with a bottle of wine. Roy came slightly after.

“Lyla, you outdid yourself and thank you for inviting me.” Oliver was helping set the table when the doorbell rang. 

“Oliver, would you mind getting that?”

 

Oliver opened the door to see Felicity but she was not alone. She was standing there holding hands with Palmer! As they are walking in, Sara arrives. 

 

Roy stands up to hug Felicity and shake Palmer’s hand. Oliver is confused. Why is Roy being so nice to Palmer if he is dating Felicity? 

 

After dinner, they all go into the living room for coffee, wine, and dessert. Palmer caters to Felicity’s every whim. He fixes her coffee, gives her his jacket when she mentions she is cold and is constantly touching her. By the time they get ready to leave, Oliver is ready to put an arrow in Ray Palmer.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry talks with Oliver

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to make this into a series. I am sorry this is a super short chapter but I am going to be working on the next part which will focus a lot on what Oliver is doing and may include some Sara. Thank you for your support.

Felicity was so glad that she was finally getting a life. She was dating, she had friends and now she was going to have a visit from Barry. Spending time with Roy just watching tv and going to nerd movies has been great. Roy misses Thea so much and he truly needs friends. Ray is great but certainly not the love of her life. She is finally just doing things for herself and nobody else.

 

The knocking at the door got Felicity’s attention. She went to the door and was engulfed in a big hug by Barry. She really missed seeing her friend but he was so busy with Star Labs. Being the Flash is a big job, after all.

 

After talking to Barry, Felicity decided she was great the way she was. She was over her crush on Oliver, she was spending time with friends and dating and she loved both her jobs. She made the right decision when she decided her and Oliver could not be together.

 

“How are things going with Oliver?

 

“I see him at the foundry and work but only professional. I am tired of putting myself out for him for him to just step on my feelings, Barry.”

 

“I understand but are you ever going to give him another chance? He is pretty miserable with the way things are now.”

 

“Maybe someday, Barry. Right now, I am enjoying dating, spending time with friends and working. I just need this space. I am still not sure what Oliver even wants. He tells me he wants things to go back to normal. What is that? Me being his whatever and him going from bed to bed? I guess things are back to normal then.”

 

“He cares about you, Felicity.”

 

“Really, Barry? He has made no attempt to show me that so it is hard for me to believe.”

 

“Tell me about Caitlin, Cisco, Iris and Joe. I want to enjoy your visit.”

 

******************************

 

The next day, Barry called Oliver and asked to meet. Barry can see how Oliver feels about Felicity but he will lose her for good unless he does something now. 

 

“Good to see you, Barry.”

 

“Oliver, I want to talk to you about Felicity.”

 

“Felicity? What is going on with her? She barely speaks to me. Do you know what is wrong?”

 

“I do. Normally, I would not break her trust but I think you know why Felicity is upset but there is more. Do you understand how badly it hurt Felicity seeing you and Sara 

“I told her I was sorry. Sara apologized, also. What else can I do?”

 

“This is not just about apologizing, Oliver. Do you even understand what you are doing?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Do you care about her? Do you love her?”

 

“Barry, you know I can’t be with her. She will only get hurt if she is with me.”

 

“Well, Oliver, I guess you have your answer. Felicity will move on, maybe with Ray. She may eventually leave the team because she will not want to lie to the man she is with. You will be alone. Felicity told me you did not want her. You told her you could not be with someone you could care about and then you went to Sara. The message she got was you did not want to be with her. At that point, she decided she needed to break away from you emotionally. If you are going to push her away, she will walk away. I hope you think hard about it and make a decision.”

 

“I don’t want to lose her but I can’t be with her.”

 

“Oliver, it won’t work that way. You can not really think it can. Either you put yourself on the line and show her you love her or you let her go completely. That is the only way this will work. You think about it. Think about a life without the sunshine that is Felicity Smoak. She will be looking for me so I have to go. Good luck.”

With that, he ran back to Felicity’s apartment.

 

What is Oliver going to do?

 

End of Part One

Oliver’s Dilemma next in the Series


End file.
